Category: movies

There’s some prominent Dead Meadow and Bardo Pond participation amongst other faves in John Srebalus and Jessica Hundle’s documentary “Such Hawks, Such Hounds”, playing tonight at 10:15 as part of the Alamo’s Music Mondays series. And hopefully hitting your town before long.

In addition, Lou can be seen being interviewed and performing alongside Elvis Costello on the latter’s new Sundance Channel chat program, “Spectacle“. The episode in question premies Wednesday, December 10 at 9pm eastern.

“Zidane : A Twenty-First Century Portrait”, the feature length documentary by Douglas Gordon and Philppe Parreno, is being shown from tomorrow through October 30 at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music. As lovers of between-Matador-releases are well aware, Mogwai provided the original soundtrack for this stunning visual work.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1UwddoQii0[/youtube]

In 2006, the Frenchman Zinédine Zidane, the most gifted—and certainly the most enigmatic—of recent soccer players, received a suitably unusual tribute. “Zidane: A Twenty-first Century Portrait,” screening at Anthology Film Archives and at BAM Oct. 24-30, is a documentary directed by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno and filmed by the great Darius Khondji. It focusses on Zidane alone during a match in April, 2005, between his club at the time, Real Madrid, and Villarreal. There is no commentary, no buildup, nothing about his career or his Algerian background. We are granted only fleeting opportunities to observe the patterns of the game; most of the movie tracks its man in solitude as he bides his time and bursts into activity. Even when he is ejected near the end, for his role in a brawl, we barely see the incident—all of which will be exasperating, to filmgoers and soccer fans alike. Allow yourself to submit to the film’s design, however, to the scuffling roar of its recorded sound and the pulse of its music, and, like a session of hypnotherapy, it may just work its magic. – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

….is apparently not available in men’s sizes. Though this doesn’t address the imbalance of unequal pay for equal work….it might be the single worst thing about being a man other than sharing a gender with Adam Carolla. (Maria Forde.net)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbV26_9Fz2M[/youtube]
…and it’s not “The Dark Knight”, “Hancock” or even “Space Chimps”. Instead, much like the rest of you, I’m breathlessly awaiting the release of Chain Gang‘s long-awaited “Mondo Manhattan”. There’s every chance I’ll be writing these same words 12 months from now, but there’s worse things than watching this trailer, or basking in Ricky Luanda’s spirited narration.

As we feverishly prepare for the 8/19 release of Jennifer O’Connor’s ‘Here With Me’ LP/CD, we’re pleased to announce that along with upcoming dates supporting Jamie Lidell and Son Ambulance, Jennifer is playing with Wilco on the following evenings :

In addition, “Hopeful” from Jennifer’s fantastic 2nd album, ‘The Color & The Light”, is featured in the upcoming motion picture, “The Strangers”, starring Liv Tyler and loads of freakish people wearing masks and wielding knives. The movie opens May 30, “only in theatres” as they like to say in the TV commericals.

The folks at Pitchfork.tv are screening the recent Mission of Burma documentary “Not A Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story” this week. The film features a laundry list of epic indie talking heads, classic clips and some incredible performances from M.O.B.’s initial 2002 reunion shows. If there is a better way to start your Saturday than with images of Burma killing it across 2 decades, an always excited Mike Watt, or a 5-guitar mega jam of “All World Cowboy Romance” we don’t know it.

See the whole thing HERE
Also, the Mission of Burma CD bundle is on sale for one final week HERE

Unless there’s a new James Toback film waiting in the wings, we might not read a piece of film criticism this year as scathing as the review handed out to “10,000 B.C.” by the Baltimore Sun’s Michael Scragow :

10,000 B.C. may take place in the moviemakers’ fanciful vision of life 10,000 years before Christ, but after you see it, the “B.C.” seems to stand for “Before Cinema.” It’s as if all the digital tools of new millennial filmmaking fell into the hands of men who had less storytelling sense than a campfire bard or a cave painter.

The director, Roland Emmerich, has made such pop hits as Independence Day, but he co-wrote this one with the film’s composer, Harald Kloser, instead of his usual partners, and from beginning to end it’s a succession of bad notes. It follows the rise of a prehistoric hero, named D’Leh (sounds like “delay”), who grows up in a tribe of woolly mammoth hunters, and is stigmatized because his master-hunter father appeared to have abandoned his people in hard times.

The new holder of the White Spear, Tic’Tic (Cliff Curtis), tries to squelch that tale, but can’t stop teen bullies from sneering at D’Leh as the son of a coward. I don’t think there’s ever been an epic with more unfortunate names for its heroes. Unless you’re enthralled by the sight of mammoth herds and fearsome prehistoric emus and a spear-toothed tiger that responds to human kindness, all given that real yet unreal CGI glow, you hear the clock Tic’Ticing in your head and pray for a conclusion without delay or D’Leh.

While Jim DeRogatis will probably hit the roof tonight if “Juno” pulls an Oscar upset, a recent online poll from Pearl & Dean of some 3000 cinephiles resulted in the following list of “films that should have won an Academy Award but never did.”

Producer/musician/songwriter extraordinaire Wyclef Jean was quizzed by New York Magazine’s Sara Cardace this week about his influences (thanks to Ira for the link). Let’s just say he demonstrated greater candor than the majority of the Matador roster would’ve under similar circumstances.

Do you have a favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Black Orpheus. Do me a favor, okay? Please go see that. It’s very cinematic and raw. I think what makes a great movie is when you can feel the culture and the sun and the people and the vibe inside the lens. Another movie I love is Once Upon a Time in America. I fell in love with that movie because of the score. You can imagine—I’m a kid supposed to be watching the movie, and instead I’m listening to the score.

And guilty pleasures?
I’m a great porn collector. The best porn ever is Sweetest Taboo.You ever seen it? That’s a good one. I probably have over 5,000 pornos.

Really?! Where do you keep them all?
In my basement. I collected them through the years. I don’t lie about anything; I think if someone has a porn collection, they have a porn collection. I know people who say they don’t have a porn collection, but when they get up in hotels they run them bills wild! They might want to call me and I could rent them a few.

Whether or not Wyclef can be considered an heir to Ralph Whittington‘s former throne as “King Of Porn” remains to be seen. But the next time a prominent musician is asked about a guilty pleasure and feels compelled to answer “Project Runway”, rest assured, the ante has been raised.

In the odd world of media hoaxers and merry pranksters, Alan Abel ranks as an unappreciated superstar. He spent his life under the radar, mocking conservative mores and putting on the media. Abel’s daughter, filmmaker Jenny Abel, offers an unflinchingly intimate portrait of her eccentric father (codirected with Jeff Hockett). Following her 80-year-old dad around with a video camera as he embarks on his latest prank (a campaign to ban breast-feeding), Jenny explores the loving and unique relationship he has shared with his wife Jeanne for the last 42 years, while also chronicling the highlights of his mad career: the Society for Indecency to Animals (“A nude horse is a rude horse”); not to mention Euthanasia Cruises, the KKK Symphony Orchestra and Omar’s School for Panhandling. Wonderful archival footage reveals a deadpan con man who took particular delight in infuriating television talk-show icons like Phil Donahue. While some have questioned Abel’s true motivation (revolutionary anarchist or media menace?), Jenny Abel focuses on the humor behind the scams, as well as the underlying message: Don’t believe everything the media tells you.(2005 SF International Film Festival)

Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch is looking for vocalists for the musical film, 'God Help The Girl' which he has been developing over the last year or so. To do this, he has teamed up with iMeem to conduct a search for female vocalists who are interested in taking part. At the God Help The Girl profile you can read much more about the project and, if you are interested, submit a version of one of two songs for his consideration.

You can read Stuart's introduction to "God Help The Girl" here and even if you are not considering entering – drop by and join up with iMeem to keep up with the project and hear the songs – 'The Psychiatrist Is In' and a new version of 'Funny Little Frog' as sung by Catherine Ireton.

10/9 – Pittsburgh at the Warhol Museum10/10 – Bloomington at Buskirk Chumley10/11 – Chicago at the Lakeshore Theatre10/13 – Grand Rapids at Calvin College10/18 – Bennington, VT at Bennington Center for the Arts10/19 – Long Island at Jeanne Rimsky10/20 – Woodstock at Colony Cafe10/22 – Philadelphia at First Unitarian Church Sanctuary10/23 – Alexandria, VA at the Birchmere11/10 – North Adams, MA at MassMoca

The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour is a rare opportunity to see this ever-surprising band in a setting more intimate and interactive than any tour in their 23-year career. A little bit Storytellers, a little bit Unplugged, with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience. Already famous for never playing the same show twice, this fresh look at Yo La Tengo offers rare insight into one of the most important, unique, and beloved bands in American rock.

Further dates will be announced soon.

Yo La Tengo's covers of Bob Dylan's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Fourth Time Around" will appear on the forthcoming 2XCD soundtrack album (Columbia) to Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There". Cat Power and Stephen Malkmus are amongst the album's other contributors.